Comments on: Nominations for Real Estate Innovators? http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/ Seattle's Leading Resource for Real Estate Information Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:47:42 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Giles@DevelopingAtlanta.com http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5077 Giles@DevelopingAtlanta.com Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:22:34 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5077 I mean Local Live... whoops... I mean Local Live… whoops…

]]> By: Giles@DevelopingAtlanta.com http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5076 Giles@DevelopingAtlanta.com Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:19:33 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5076 I agree with Robbie, Except I don't think it is a tie... I think Live local is an amazing product for real estate professionals and should easily take the crown for the time being. I agree with Robbie, Except I don’t think it is a tie… I think Live local is an amazing product for real estate professionals and should easily take the crown for the time being.

]]> By: Robbie http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5028 Robbie Tue, 25 Apr 2006 01:05:59 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5028 Well, Google gets enough free advertising from your blog, I wanted to make sure credit is given where credit is due. ;) RE: Redfin, perhaps Redfin <a href="http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=btdownload24&date=20060424&query=redfin" rel="nofollow">will offer you a duplex with your sushi</a> in 2007, to out innovative Zip? Well, Google gets enough free advertising from your blog, I wanted to make sure credit is given where credit is due. ;)

RE: Redfin, perhaps Redfin will offer you a duplex with your sushi in 2007, to out innovative Zip?

]]> By: Dustin http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5027 Dustin Tue, 25 Apr 2006 00:32:23 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5027 Robbie, I really appreciate that you're a Microsoft man, through and through! The world needs more people like you! ;) Robbie, I really appreciate that you’re a Microsoft man, through and through! The world needs more people like you! ;)

]]> By: ARDELL http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5026 ARDELL Tue, 25 Apr 2006 00:24:14 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5026 Best Business Model: I can't say that Redfin is "innovative" because it is basically the same business model Zip Realty tried intially, but it failed. So it is more of a second try at it, industrywise. Redfin is the "IT" place, not because of its business model, but because of the technology of the search feature. So along the same lines, I'd have to say that the Most Innovative Broker is, and has been, Zip Realty. They Incorporate the technology of a House Values with a Brokerage firm and use it to supply the agents with leads. They include the consumer discount aspect on both the seller and the buyer side. They treat agents as employees without paying them a salary (cool if you can get away with it.) They have more than a few weaknesses, but clearly Zip Realty is the most innovative, as they include many of the most innovative concepts, all under one roof. The question is can any "discount" brokerage become as successful as a traditional company. Jury's still out on that one. Best Business Model: I can’t say that Redfin is “innovative” because it is basically the same business model Zip Realty tried intially, but it failed. So it is more of a second try at it, industrywise. Redfin is the “IT” place, not because of its business model, but because of the technology of the search feature.

So along the same lines, I’d have to say that the Most Innovative Broker is, and has been, Zip Realty. They Incorporate the technology of a House Values with a Brokerage firm and use it to supply the agents with leads. They include the consumer discount aspect on both the seller and the buyer side. They treat agents as employees without paying them a salary (cool if you can get away with it.) They have more than a few weaknesses, but clearly Zip Realty is the most innovative, as they include many of the most innovative concepts, all under one roof.

The question is can any “discount” brokerage become as successful as a traditional company. Jury’s still out on that one.

]]> By: Robbie http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5025 Robbie Mon, 24 Apr 2006 23:11:33 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/04/24/nominations-for-real-estate-innovators/#comment-5025 Although, I completely agree with most of the picks, I have to say that "Most Innovative Technology" should be a tie between <a href="http://local.live.com/" rel="nofollow">Microsoft Virtual Earth</a> & <a href="http://maps.google.com" rel="nofollow">Google Maps</a>. I'm not saying Google Maps isn't a worthy nominee, I'm merely saying that Microsoft's Virtual Earth team deserves it as much as the Google guys do. Why? Microsoft shipped the first image tile-based aerial photography web application way back in June 1998. Back then, it was called <a href="http://terraserver.microsoft.com/" rel="nofollow">TerraServer</a>. Google deserves a lot of credit for adding some much needed DHTML & AJAX to improve the user expeirence, however I can't give them all the credit since they merely took Microsoft's pre-existing TerraServer ideas to the next level. And shortly afterward, the Microsoft Virtual Earth team returned the favor by taking Google Maps ideas to next level, by combining maps on top of satellite images, supporting keyboard events & mouse wheel events for map navigation (both of which, Google has since copied after MS released it). Microsoft has also added low level aerial imagery from Pictometry (which <a href="http://www.zillow.com/howto/BirdsEye.z" rel="nofollow">Zillow is now using on their site</a>), and street level imagery (similar to the <a href="http://maps.a9.com/" rel="nofollow">Blockview images</a> that were first done by A9). Although Google maps is an impressive web application that has done much to advance the state of the art of web mapping, I'd say that based on Microsoft's past and present innovations in this space, they've earned this award as much as the G-men have. Although, I completely agree with most of the picks, I have to say that “Most Innovative Technology” should be a tie between Microsoft Virtual Earth & Google Maps.

I’m not saying Google Maps isn’t a worthy nominee, I’m merely saying that Microsoft’s Virtual Earth team deserves it as much as the Google guys do. Why?

Microsoft shipped the first image tile-based aerial photography web application way back in June 1998. Back then, it was called TerraServer. Google deserves a lot of credit for adding some much needed DHTML & AJAX to improve the user expeirence, however I can’t give them all the credit since they merely took Microsoft’s pre-existing TerraServer ideas to the next level.

And shortly afterward, the Microsoft Virtual Earth team returned the favor by taking Google Maps ideas to next level, by combining maps on top of satellite images, supporting keyboard events & mouse wheel events for map navigation (both of which, Google has since copied after MS released it). Microsoft has also added low level aerial imagery from Pictometry (which Zillow is now using on their site), and street level imagery (similar to the Blockview images that were first done by A9).

Although Google maps is an impressive web application that has done much to advance the state of the art of web mapping, I’d say that based on Microsoft’s past and present innovations in this space, they’ve earned this award as much as the G-men have.

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